India Intervenes As Hong Kong Set To Auction Buddha's Sacred Jewels

The Ministry of Culture on Monday said it has sent a legal notice to Sotheby's in Hong Kong, asking the auction house to immediately halt the upcoming sale of the Buddha's sacred jewels and return the artefacts to India.

Nearly 1,800 jewels - pearls, rubies, sapphires, topaz, garnets, coral, amethysts, rock crystals, shells and gold - were discovered alongside bone fragments identified as belonging to the Buddha, from a stupa in Piprahwa, near his birthplace in Uttar Pradesh in 1898. The items are scheduled to be auctioned on Wednesday, with Sotheby's estimating the value at around HK$100 million (around Rs 107 crore). 

In a statement, the culture ministry said it has gathered information on the auction and issued a legal notice to Sotheby's. "The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) also requested the Consulate General of Hong Kong to take up the matter with authorities there demanding the immediate cessation of the auction," it said. 

In its statement, the Centre said the relics, which assume immense historical and spiritual significance, were excavated by William Claxton Peppe in 1898. 

"An inscription in Brahmi script on one of the caskets confirms these as relics of the Buddha, deposited by the Sakya clan," it said. A majority of these relics were transferred to the Indian Museum in Kolkata in 1899 and are classified as 'AA' antiquities under Indian law,  prohibiting their removal or sale, it added.  

While a portion of the bone relics was gifted to the King of Siam, a selection retained by Peppe's descendants has now been listed for auction, it said. 

The culture ministry said the Financial Investigation Unit (FIU) has been asked to coordinate with its counterpart in Hong Kong to highlight the illegality of the auction and ensure compliance with international laws.

"The Ministry of Culture remains steadfast in its efforts to protect India's cultural heritage and ensure the repatriation of the Piprahwa Relics. We call upon Sotheby's Hong Kong to immediately withdraw the relics from auction and cooperate with Indian authorities to return these sacred artifacts to their rightful place," the statement said.

Sotheby's Response To India's Notice

The ministry, in its statement, said that Ivy Wong, Associate General Counsel, Sotheby's, responded to the notice and assured "full attention" in the matter. 

Earlier, Nicolas Chow, chairman of Sotheby's Asia, called the relics "among the most extraordinary archaeological discoveries of all time". The auction house described the offering as being "of unparalleled religious, archaeological and historical importance", as per The Guardian. 

Chris Peppe, great-grandson of William Claxton Peppe and one of the current owners, defended the decision to sell the relics. He said the family explored donating the items to temples and museums, but ran into obstacles. The auction was "the fairest and most transparent way to transfer these relics to Buddhists," he told the BBC.